"Ivan, thanks for keeping watch. Yaaawn~"
Before dawn, around three or four in the morning, Flamme emerged from her tent, awakened by an alarm spell. Stretching lazily, she revealed her exquisite figure in a way that made Ivan momentarily forget his drowsiness.
Her curves were undeniably impressive. Even the sight was enough to keep sleep at bay.
But knowing they'd be traveling again during the day, Ivan quickly shook off the temptation, determined to catch some rest in the tent.
"Wait, don't sleep just yet!"
Still drowsy from waking up too early, Flamme noticed a surge of mana erupting nearby. Instantly alert, she turned to Ivan and said, "There's a fierce battle going on over there. Stay within my sight."
"Got it."
Thanks to his endless late-night gaming back on Earth, Ivan was surprisingly sharp during what was supposed to be the most exhausting hours of the night. He quickly switched to "night owl mode."
"Should I fly up and scout the area?"
"No." Flamme immediately rejected the idea. "If the demons find out a human has mastered flight magic, they'll send assassins after you endlessly. Just follow me on foot."
In less than ten minutes, Ivan and Flamme arrived at the scene.
"What a massacre… Is this an elf village?"
The flames raged high into the night sky, consuming the tattered remnants of houses. Corpses littered the ground—men, women, elders, and children alike—all with pointed ears that easily marked them as elves. Blood soaked the earth, and the metallic stench of iron hung heavy in the air.
As they pressed on, they came to a plaza resembling an altar. At its center knelt a silver-haired elven girl, her eyes reflecting the flickering flames around her, devoid of any other emotion. Nearby, the enormous corpse of a demon lay sprawled on the ground, gradually disintegrating into black magical embers that scattered with the wind.
The demon's massive body only emphasized the girl's petite frame. But judging by the mana residue in the air, it was clear that this ethereal young girl had somehow slain the demon.
Flamme approached the girl to check her injuries, while Ivan wandered over to inspect the demon's corpse for any "remaining value."
"Basalt the Throne, one of the Demon King's generals… So, it was this thing that led the demons to destroy your village. Then, you killed all of them, didn't you?"
The girl remained silent.
"And you even killed it head-on, didn't you? Really, how foolish. Why didn't you run away? Why didn't you ambush it? Why didn't you use underhanded tactics? Ivan, what's that saying of yours?"
"Demons are inherently evil beasts. Against them, there's no such thing as chivalry—all dirty tricks are righteous."
Ivan casually chimed in as he inspected the demon's corpse. It was the first time he had encountered a demon's body that didn't disintegrate almost instantly. Usually, Flamme's explosive magic left nothing behind.
Pinching the corpse thoughtfully, Ivan asked, "Flamme, is it okay to eat demon generals?"
"No, it's not!" Flamme snapped, her face darkened. "Why are you even asking such ridiculous things?!"
Ivan reasoned, "Well, demons are made of mana, right? Eating it is essentially consuming a lump of raw mana. By the 'you are what you eat' principle, my mana reserves might skyrocket."
Of course, if the demon were alive, Ivan wouldn't dare have such absurd thoughts. But now that it was dead, reduced to a massive, ownerless mana essence, how could he not be tempted?
The sheer absurdity of his reasoning made even the elven girl glance at him skeptically.
"Put that idea out of your head, Ivan. Mana cannot be absorbed through digestion."
Flamme's rebuke didn't discourage Ivan. Instead, it sparked a new thought.
"So, I just need an organ that can digest mana, right?"
He eagerly jotted down the idea in a small notebook he always carried, then pulled out a sealing scroll to store the demon general's body. As a model citizen raised under the flag of "no waste," he couldn't let such a resource go to waste.
While Ivan busied himself, Flamme continued speaking with the elven girl.
"With so many other options, why did you choose to face it head-on? I just don't get it. Why do powerful mages think like that?"
"…You should understand."
For the first time, the silent elven girl spoke. Her emerald-green eyes, similar to Flamme's, calmly gazed at her.
"Because you are an even stronger mage than I am."
Flamme raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? And why do you think that?"
In her current state, with her mana restrained, most mages wouldn't even notice her abilities.
"Intuition," Frieren replied calmly.
"That's quite the terrifying talent. If demons had such intuition, it would be a real problem. What's your name?"
"Frieren."
"A beautiful name. I'm Flamme, and that guy grinning at the demon general's corpse is Ivan, my apprentice."
As she spoke, Flamme squatted down in front of Frieren. "Hop on. Someone with potential like yours can't just be left unattended. And the demon reinforcements are probably on their way already."
"Okay."
Frieren obediently climbed onto Flamme's back, her slender, snow-white arms wrapping around her neck.
Flamme stood up and lightly patted the girl's back to test her weight. Small and light, she was like a little child.
"Hey, stop grinning at the corpse. It's time to run."
"First, my name's not 'hey.' Second, I wasn't grinning at the corpse; I was smiling at a promising future. And third, running away sounds too lame. I prefer to call it a strategic retreat."
Having finished packing away the demon general's remains, Ivan dusted off his pants and quickly caught up to Flamme and Frieren.
As they left the village, Frieren looked at the scattered remains and corpses around them, then slowly closed her eyes, murmuring softly, "Everyone's gone… I was supposed to be the strongest… but I couldn't protect them…"
Elves, with their near-endless lifespans, often developed muted emotions. But witnessing such a tragedy unfold before her, Frieren felt as though a part of her heart had been bitten away, leaving an empty void.
Flamme asked, "When you arrived, was everyone in the village already dead?"
"Yes," Frieren replied expressionlessly.
"And then you fought Basalt head-on and killed him?"
"Yes."
"You're such an idiot. When the Demon King's army destroys a village, they never act alone. There's always follow-up reinforcements. If we hadn't passed by, with your mana and stamina depleted, you'd have been as good as dead."
Flamme continued, "If I were you, I would've run. As long as you're alive, there will always be more chances to kill demons…"
She suddenly paused mid-step.
"Tch, speaking of demons, here they come."